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Kyle Bean’s Life-Like Portraits are Made Entirely Out of Pencil Shavings

Illustrator Kyle Bean has created an unusual series of portraits by setting down his pencil and using solely his pencil shavings. Collecting the discarded remnants of a colored pencil, Bean skillfully arranges the debris to reflect variations of tone, and even specific facial details, in these amazing and very life-like portraits.

Created for Wallpaper’s‘Handmade issue’, these fun portraits are depictions of the contributors to the edition, and portray their subtle impressions with just a few precisely placed layers of pencil shavings. Each textured portrait is formed using a different pencil crayon, where amazingly one single color creates an effect with significant depth.

An original use for an otherwise redundant material, Bean shows how great artwork can be formed from even the most unusual waste!

This is not the first time the Brighton-based artist has created fun and inspired work with waste materials. Bean’s Chicken made from eggshells is a great response to the time-old ‘What came first?’ debate. His other works also hold to an environmental slant, like his amazing ‘Unmade’ animation which shows pencils growing into a tree (as opposed to being made from it), and a model town shaped as an airplane for his ‘Aerotropolis’ airport city feature.

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Slideshow

Kyle Bean's Life-Like Portraits are Made Entirely Out of Pencil Shavings

Illustrator Kyle Bean has created an unusual series of portraits by setting down his pencil and using solely his pencil shavings. Collecting the discarded remnants of a colored pencil, Bean skillfully arranges the debris to reflect variations of tone,

Pencil Shaving Illustrations by Kyle Bean

1 of 7

Illustrator Kyle Bean has created an unusual series of portraits by setting down his pencil and using solely his pencil shavings. Collecting the discarded remnants of a colored pencil, Bean skillfully arranges the debris to reflect variations of tone, and even specific facial details, in these amazing and very life-like portraits.

Each portrait is formed using a different pencil crayon, using one single color for a simple effect.

Pencil Shaving Illustrations by Kyle Bean

2 of 7

Each portrait is formed using a different pencil crayon, using one single color for a simple effect.

The portraits depict subtle impressions of each person with the layered textural shavings.

Pencil Shaving Illustrations by Kyle Bean

3 of 7

The portraits depict subtle impressions of each person with the layered textural shavings.

An original use for an otherwise redundant material, Bean shows us how great artwork can be formed from even the most unusual waste!

Pencil Shaving Illustrations by Kyle Bean

4 of 7

An original use for an otherwise redundant material, Bean shows us how great artwork can be formed from even the most unusual waste!

Created for Wallpaper’s ‘Handmade' issue, these fun portraits are a depict the faces of the contributors to the edition.

Wallpaper Contributers by Kyle Bean

5 of 7

Created for Wallpaper’s ‘Handmade' issue, these fun portraits are a depict the faces of the contributors to the edition.

This is not the first time the Brighton-based artist has created fun and inspired work with waste materials, Bean’s chicken made from eggshells is a great response to the time-old ‘chicken vs. egg’ debate.

Chicken out of egg by Kyle Bean

6 of 7

This is not the first time the Brighton-based artist has created fun and inspired work with waste materials, Bean’s chicken made from eggshells is a great response to the time-old ‘chicken vs. egg’ debate.

His portfolio also explores an environmental slant, like this amazing model town in the shape of an airplane for an airport town feature.

Aerotropolis by Kyle Bean

7 of 7

His portfolio also explores an environmental slant, like this amazing model town in the shape of an airplane for an airport town feature.